


back to reality

by periphrial



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-03-08 09:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18891511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/periphrial/pseuds/periphrial
Summary: "Steve says we're in love." Sam blurted, eyes fixated on the ground.Bucky stays silent for a while."Are we?"





	back to reality

Sam and bucky fell in love.

They didn't know it, but to others it was as clear as day.

Thanos had snapped, they both had turned to dust, and yet when all of that had been was over they came out in love.

Steve tried to be happy for them, he really did. But it's hard to see two people you love, die and then come out of the other side so happy. 

The lovebirds shared fond memories of the afterlife, the dust realm, or the soul stone. Wherever they were, it was the place Steve had fought his hardest to get them out of, and he didn't even know if that's what the truly wanted.

So maybe that's why he left. Why he stayed in 1945 with Peggy. He knew it was impulsive and selfish, but after seeing the two of them so in love, he realized that he still craved that, no matter what he told himself.

"Why did you do it?" Sam asked, moving to sit on the bench next to Steve. 

Steve glanced at the ring on his finger. He knew Sam was eager to find out about the seventy years Steve had spent apart from them. 

"You're not gonna believe me if I tell you" Steve said, the slowness of his voice showing his age.

Sam smirked, wairy of the answer. "Try me"

 

"I saw the two of you" Steve looked up at him and slightly turned his head over his shoulder to glance at Bucky.

Sam's eyes followed Steve's gaze and he looked surprised. "Me..and Barnes?" He asked, even though he already knew the answer.

Steve chuckled. "I've known bucky for longer than both of us ever expected" He started. "And I have never once seen him this in love."

Sam glanced at Bucky, and he could he feel his heartbeat speed up as they made eye contact. Bucky was obviously aware that he was the topic of conversation.

"And you" Steve looked at Sam "Anyone with eyes could see that you love him."

"Steve-" Sam started.

Steve cut him off and chuckled knowingly. "What you two have is beautiful and I've only ever had that with one person, so I went back to her." 

Sam nodded in understanding, he was happy for Steve, he truly was. But he couldn't help but feel guilty, they’d spend years chasing after Bucky together. Sam watched Steve become ecstatic at just getting minutes with his old friend, and somehow Sam was the one who ended up spending five years with guy, while Steve was on the other side, alone.

Sam took another glance at Bucky, and put his hand on Steve's shoulder. "Don't pretend you're wise just because you're an old man now." He joked. 

Steve smiled at him, grumbled about having a weak bladder and retreated into the house.

"You two gosspin' about me up there?" Bucky teased, walking up. Once he was beside Sam, he instinctively moved closer to him, until they were touching again.

Sam felt warmth at the familiarity of their dynamic. "Oh yeah, real mean stuff" Sam quipped back. He remembered Steve's words and felt uneasy. 

Bucky opened his mouth to quip back, but Sam had a look on his face that Bucky didn't quite recognize.

"What's up?" He asked, bumping Sam's arm softly with his elbow.

"Steve says we're in love." Sam blurted, eyes fixated on the ground.

Bucky stayed silent for a while and Sam didn't know whether to provide some sort of explanation or just let the heavy statement linger.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bucky looked up from the patch of dirt that must've been so fascinating to him. 

"Are we?" It came out as a whisper but Sam still heard the question, and it felt like a weight crushing him down.

"I don't know." Was all Sam was able to say in return, he truly wasn't sure. The soul world, or wherever they had gone. It was different, it wasn't real life, and it they knew it. It felt like they were there together for an eternity, but it also felt like no time had passed. It wasn't a place where you go to fall in love.

Bucky shifted uncomfortably, like he wanted to respond, but didn't know what to say, and Sam felt like he'd ruined everything with three words.

"We should get inside," Bucky said, changing the subject and leaving the question unanswered. "The old man probably needs some rest."

Sam chuckled softly as they walked back to the cabin. Steve was sitting on the couch. He looked between the two of them with a smile that Sam could still recognize even after it had aged seventy years.

~

Sam and Bucky didn't have a real conversation for two weeks after that. Steve had insisted that the two of them get their own apartment together without him because they needed their 'privacy'. They however, did not have the heart to tell him that it was unnecessary because they weren't actually in a relationship.

In the small apartmentnt, they both avoided each other anytime they were in the same room, took turns sleeping on an air mattress because there was only one bedroom, and used the excuse of 'visiting Steve' anytime it got awkward..

They finally had their first real conversation one morning in the kitchen. Sam had gotten back from his morning run, and Bucky was sat at the counter face first into a bowl of oatmeal. Sam walked past Bucky to fill his cup up with water, but paused when he heard a familiar sound.

"You're humming" He said, placing the glass of water back on the counter. He didn't mean to blurt it out, but it just caught him so off gaurd. Bucky hummed that song twenty-four seven when they were stuck in in the soul world.

Bucky looked stunned, it had been a while since they had even spoken, much less initiated conversation about casual stuff like that. "Yeah?" 

Sam realized what he'd said, and he could feel himself getting more nervous as he stoon there with Bucky's eyes on him.

"Nevermind." He said quickly. "I think I'm gonna go visit Steve."

That was the third time Sam had gone to visit Steve that week just for the sake of getting out of an uncomfortable conversation with Bucky. Sam was still trying to convince him to just come and live with them, but the old man refused.

"Oh" Bucky said. "I was actually about to go to Steve's."

"There's no reason we can't go together" Sam looked at Bucky, and Bucky wanted to argue. He wanted to say thay there's definitely many reasons why we couldn't go together, but instead he just nodded and put his shoes on.

Sam insisted on driving, letting Bucky know that he definitely does not trust him behind the wheel. The remark was lighthearted and reminded him of how they would tease each other before it became awkward.

The ride to Steve's was only a thirty minute drive, but the awkwardness of the atmosphere made five minutes feel like an hour.

"You know earlier when you were humming?" Sam said, breaking the silence first. 

"Yeah?" 

"It was the same song that you would always hum when we were there." Sam said, and Bucky instantly understood what he meant when he said there.

"Is that why you said something about it earlier?" Bucky asked, just trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah" Sam tapped the steering wheel softly while his eyes focused on the road.

"I thought you were just being an asshole." Bucky deadpaned.

Sam snorted. A month ago Sam would've probably said something snarky like that just to be ass, hell he remembered all the times he told Barnes to just 'shut the fuck up with that humming'. But now it was different.

"Hey, in my defense you hummed that fuckin' song for like the entire time we were there."

"It was one of my favorite songs from the 40s. And it was catchy."

"What ever you say man"

"Do you ever miss it?" Bucky asked, his tone becoming serious.

"Your humming? God, no"

"Shut up prick" Bucky rolled his eyes. "I mean the soul world or wherever we were."

"Sometimes," Sam nodded. His eyes were still fixed on the road. "You?"

"Yeah. It was peaceful, us not being in the real world for a bit." 

"I mean you we're there so I'm not sure if I could call that peaceful." Sam snorted, taking his eyes off the road to glance at Bucky.

"Wilson, c'mon I'm serious." Bucky sighed, leaning his head against the car window.

"I am too!" Sam deadpaned "Your loud ass humming did not make the experience peaceful at all."

"Can you shut the fuck up and be serious for second?" Bucky snapped, and Sam almost crashed the car with how fast he turned to look at Bucky. "I'm trying to tell you that I fell I love with you there!"

"You...what?" The car jerked forward as Sam pulled the car to the side of the road. He was now fully facing Bucky, and he held a confused stare.

"Look, I hate to say it, but Steve's dumbass was right, at least about me, I mean." Bucky looked down at his hands. "This last week and a half of us not talking and walking around on eggshells around each other was hell for me. I missed you even though you were right there. And then I realized it was because I loved you."

"Wow..." Sam trailed off. "I think that was the most i've ever heard you say at one time."

"Wilson, I swear to god." Bucky laughed bitterly. He just confessed his love, he needed Sam to say something that wasn't sarcastic.

Sam looked down, and then back up at Bucky. He stared at him for a moment, and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Look, when Steve said that he knew we were in love, I thought he was getting crazy in his old age. I thought 'there's no way l'm in love with Bucky. 'he's annoying and his hair is greasy'. Bucky scoffed. "but then, after we weren't fighting aliens, and I had a moment to think, I realized that he was right."

They both sat there, parked on the side of the road, staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours.

"I love you so much." Bucky said before crashing his lips against Sam's. 

"I love you too, greasy."


End file.
